Drought Declaration Lifted Pt 2
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. The Washington Department of Ecology has lifted the drought declaration in Central and Eastern Washington.
A cooler and wetter spring turned around the exceptionally dry conditions created by last year’s drought. State Drought Coordinator, Jeff Marti says that includes the soil moisture …
MARTI … “Yeah, it’s looking much better than last year. I was just looking at it again this morning. It’s looking very good across most of Eastern Washington. There’s always a few spotty areas where things are still slightly below normal. But the overall picture looks good.”
And after last year, Marti says that’s a good thing …
MARTI … “It’s definitely a much different picture than last year. Last year was looking quite dire and this year, looking at the various agricultural reports, it looks like the main challenge for some of the growers was maybe the coolness and getting in the fields to work and that sort of thing.”
And, Marti says, for those regions hit exceptionally hard last year …
MARTI … “A lot of those areas are still considered disaster areas. You know, they kind of were rejiggered this spring before the rains hit. So folks, you know, if they’re still feeling the impacts of the drought conditions, they should contact their county Farm Services Agency and see if they’re eligible and see what kind of help is available.”
On a statewide average, April through June this year, was the third wettest period since 1895.
